The Toll of Taking Charge
by FishE1
Summary: Unsettling circumstances... an absent Sensei... a strange weakening of Zane's sixth sense... such things combined are enough to put Cole on edge. Darkness is coming... has come... Can Cole pull himself together and get his team out unscathed? *Rating may change* ON HIATUS.
1. Clouds of Warning

**A/N: What… is… this? Could it possibly be…? *gasp* It is! It's another Ninjago chapter story! :D Honestly, I'm surprised at myself! I don't even know where this came from (wait, no, that's a lie- I couldn't sleep one night and the next day I read a Legend of Zelda horror fic, so that's where this came from), but anyway, I was in the mood to write something creepyish. Unfortunately, I don't know how good I am at scary, so I guess we'll see where this goes. Hope you enjoy it anyway!**

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"_Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night."  
― Leo Aikman_

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Cole sighed heavily, staring at the ceiling through the darkness of his room. He hated insomnia. No matter what he tried on nights like this, he could never get himself to fall asleep. It was beyond frustrating. Cole groaned and turned onto his side, squeezing his eyes shut. Maybe if he just thought about other things, sleep would come…

_But no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about it!_ Cole thought angrily. _Zane said that it probably wasn't anything to worry about, because as far as he could tell, Garmadon isn't even in our world. But all that does is make me worry more! He could be planning something that doesn't even require his presence, and then when our guard is down, he'll attack! Or maybe he found a way to counter Zane's sixth sense! Or maybe…_

_Ugh! Stop it! _He growled in his head, slamming his fist onto the mattress below him and snapping his eyes open to glare into the darkness again. This wasn't going to do. Cole threw back the blankets keeping him warm and sat up, hanging his feet off the edge of his bed. As quietly as possible, he stepped onto the wooden floor, willing it not to creak as he stood up. Shivering slightly at the crisp night air that had seeped into the dojo, he crept out of his room and into the hall.

Once there, Cole paused. Some fresh air would be nice, but the nights had gotten cooler with the arrival of autumn, and he didn't particularly need to catch a cold. Sighing, Cole settled for padding silently through the dojo, trying to clear his head.

Letting his feet carry him where they would, Cole soon found himself leaning against a windowsill that overlooked the outdoor training area. The half-moon cast a peaceful radiance over the empty courtyard, but to Cole, it appeared almost eerie. With another sigh, he allowed himself to ruminate on what had transpired earlier in the day...

_~Flashback~_

_"Jay! Think fast!" Kai called out to his blue-clad teammate. Jay glanced up just in time to glimpse the ninja of fire leaping toward him, ready to knock him over with a well-aimed kick. Eyes widening, Jay brought his arms up to defend himself, but nevertheless found himself flat on his back within seconds, scowling up at the cloudless sky._

_"Hey, no fair!" He complained as he sat up, directing his scowl toward the cause of his disgrace, who seemed positively delighted at the results of his own actions._

_"Aaaaand…. Fail." Kai declared, imitating Sensei Wu's favorite sparring phrase before he burst into laughter. "You may be quick with your mouth, Jay, but your reflexes need work!" he snickered._

_Cole, who had seen the entire incident play out from where he was training on his own, gave Kai a glare. "Kai, what do you think you're doing? Sensei said to 'keep out of mischief' while he's gone, and I'm pretty sure he was looking at you." Sensei Wu was away on an excursion that he had assured them would take several days. As was expected, he left Cole in charge._

_"But, I was just…" Kai started to protest._

_Suddenly, a loud CRAAAACK was heard as the sky went gray with clouds and reverberated with the sound of the first thunderclap. It quickly developed into a severe thunderstorm. White bolts of lightning illuminated the sky, and there was almost no break between one clap of thunder and the next, resulting in what sounded like a freight train rushing past. Rain began to fall in sheets as Cole, Kai, and Jay ran for cover._

_"Wait! Where's Zane?" Jay asked anxiously not ten seconds after they had made it inside, sopping wet._

_"Right here, Jay," a calm voice spoke from nearby. Zane walked over to join them by the door. "I was meditating in my room, and my concentration was broken by that loud thunderclap. So I decided to make sure all of you were okay."_

_"But… wait. Didn't you sense that the thunderstorm was coming?" Cole asked, confused._

_Zane's brow furrowed as he realized the aberration that had occurred. "No, as a matter of fact, I didn't. That's strange…"_

_"I'll bet it's Garmadon!" Kai burst out angrily. "It would be just like him to do something like that!"_

_Zane shook his head. "I'm not sure, Kai. From what I can sense, Garmadon isn't in Ninjago at the moment."_

_"But, what else could have caused that thunderstorm?" Jay questioned. "The sky was clear just a few minutes ago."_

_"I'm not saying that it wasn't him. But we should probably wait awhile and see what happens. It's not time to worry yet."_

_~End Flashback~_

"Cole?"

Cole started at the voice, jerking himself out of his thoughts as he turned to face the speaker. "Zane," he stated, not at all surprised. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question, my friend," came the placid reply.

"But I'm sure you already know the answer, don't you?" Cole replied bitterly, turning back to the window and gazing out once more.

"Something is troubling you," Zane continued, seemingly oblivious to Cole's sullen tone. "It is keeping you from relaxing enough to fall asleep. And we both know that this is not the first time this has happened. It is not healthy, Cole. Staying up all night worrying is not going to help us in battle. You need to rest."

"You think I don't know that?" Cole questioned, frustrated. "I'm tired. I want to sleep. But I just can't!"

Zane placed a hand on his leader's shoulder. "Yes, you can. I told you before, Garmadon is not in this world, and I do not believe that he is going to attack any time soon. Please- believe my words and you will be able to sleep."

Cole sighed. "All right, Zane. I'll give it a rest until morning. But that doesn't mean I believe you."

"As long as you allow your mind to quiet down for the remainder of the night, you will be fine," Zane responded as the two of them turned and headed back toward their rooms.

Neither of them noticed the shadow that detached itself from the wall outside; it paused only briefly before fleeing into the night.

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**A/N: Hmm… what could that mysterious shadow be? Honestly, even I'm not entirely sure. XD I guess we'll all find out in a couple of chapters! Don't expect frequent, regular updates on this one- unlike my last Ninjago story, this has not been prewritten; I'm posting it as I go.**

**Anyway, sorry it took so long to post... titles are a pain in the neck to come up with.**

**Oh, and by the way- if you haven't noticed, this takes place waaay back after the first season, or at least before the dojo burned down. Frankly, I bet this could even be considered completely separate from the show's timeline. Oh, and Zane's not a robot. :P Because it just makes things easier.**

**And one more thing... it seems that I have once again fallen behind on watching the episodes. Please don't give me any spoilers in reviews or PMs, or anywhere else for that matter. I want to see what happens for myself.**

**Anyway, REVIEW! Thank you kindly!**


	2. Reason to Worry

**A/N: Hey look guys! I actually updated! And in the month that's gone by, I still haven't been able to watch the rest of the episodes. XD Oh well. I hope this is worth the wait.**

**Oh, something I forgot to mention last chapter- I got the idea for putting a quote at the beginning of each chapter from stories by an author named HaiJu. (If you're into Danny Phantom, GO READ HER FICS NOW. THEY ARE MADE OF EPICNESS). Since I love quotes so much, I figured that it was a perfect format for me to try. :) So I'm giving it a shot, just to see how it works for me. You won't believe how difficult it is to find quotes that match your story, though…**

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"_One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."  
__― __Arnold H. Glasow_

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The next morning dawned cold and dreary. A blanket of clouds hung over Ninjago, reflecting Cole's mood precisely. He had managed to fall into a fitful sleep the night before, but it hadn't helped him at all. His worries had returned the instant he opened his eyes.

"Morning, sleepy-head!" The cheerful voice of Kai's sister greeted him as he entered the dining room. "You're up later than usual. We were about ready to send out a search party to look for you!"

Cole somehow managed to find it in him to chuckle as he sat down at the table. "Oh, really? And who would have led that search party? Kai?"

"Hey!" the red-clad boy exclaimed indignantly, while the others burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, we get it," Nya replied as the laughter faded, placing a plate of food in front of Cole. "After that kidnapping fiasco** (1)**, you're convinced that you're the only one here capable of leading."

"You know it, Nya," Cole responded. His apprehension suddenly edged back into his mind, and he shot a quick glance at Zane. Zane caught his eye and shook his head slightly. Mentally, Cole sighed. Zane hadn't sensed anything different this morning. There was no sign of danger anywhere. But if that were so, then why couldn't Cole shake his increasing feeling of dread?

"Hellooo! Earth to Cole! Haha, 'Earth to Cole.' That's funny, since you're the ninja of earth…" Cole was brought back to reality by Jay's voice, coupled with a hand waving in front of his face. "Are you sure you're awake yet, buddy?" Jay asked with an amused grin.

Cole shook his head to clear it. "Nah, I've just got stuff on my mind, that's all. It's nothing, really."

Jay looked like he was about to say something, but just then, they were startled by an insistent pounding on the dojo's doors.

"I'll get it!" Nya chirped, heading out of the dining room into the main hall. Cole watched her go, and then turned to face the others.

"You didn't tell her?" he asked in a low voice. Kai shook his head.

"We thought it was best not to worry her, especially since Zane isn't sure that Garmadon is the one causing trouble," he whispered back. Zane and Jay nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but if anything else happens, we might just have to let her know," Cole warned. "Just to be safe."

"Kai!" Nya's dismayed cry reached them seconds before she burst into the room, clutching an open letter in one hand.

"What's wrong, Nya?" Kai asked, jumping to his feet and reaching her side in seconds. "Who was at the door?"

"The mailman… he said he had an urgent letter." Nya answered hurriedly, and then paused as though she didn't know how to continue.

"Okay… Who's it from?" Kai urged her. Nya took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.

"Do you remember Mrs. Dubose **(2)**?" she asked slowly.

"You mean that cranky old lady who yelled at me all the time, but made you cookies every afternoon?" Kai demanded, crossing his arms and scowling. Nya nodded, worry etched on her face.

"It seems that she's fallen ill, and she wishes for me to come and keep her company," she responded, scanning the letter again. Kai stared at his sister in consternation.

"If that's all, I don't understand why you're so worried," he muttered.

"Kai," Nya began, looking him straight in the eye. "I think it's more serious than that. She also says that she has been having a bunch of weird dreams lately, which are nothing like any she has ever had. She's tried to pass them off as an effect of her illness, but she's starting to fear that she is going crazy."

"What kind of dreams?" Zane spoke up, a note of interest in his voice.

"She doesn't really specify; she just says they make her feel uneasy and paranoid. She's afraid that something bad is going to happen," Nya answered, seeming to become more troubled with each passing minute.

"Hmmm…." was all Zane said.

"Well, I still think…" Kai began. Cole stopped him mid-sentence.

"If this is important to you Nya, I think you should go," Cole told her. "We can take care of ourselves here."

"Are you sure?" When Cole nodded, she turned back to her brother. "It's okay, Kai. I'll be careful, I promise." Kai sighed, and reluctantly gave his consent. Nya threw her arms around him happily, and ran to pack her bag. She set out ten minutes later.

When the ninja were gathered at the table once again, Zane spoke up. "I don't believe this to be a mere coincidence. With the strange things that have been happening around here, it doesn't seem likely that a woman who is close to Kai and Nya should just happen to start having weird dreams all of a sudden."

"Mrs. Dubose is just an old lady who was never quite right in the head," Kai grumbled. "We weren't close to her at all. Well, I wasn't, anyway."

"Wait! Maybe she's the one causing this trouble!" Jay suggested. "Or at least is involved somehow?"

Kai stiffened, his fists clenching as a wave of fear hit him. "And we just let Nya leave to visit her!" he cried. "We have to go bring her back!"

"Hang on a minute, Kai," Cole said sharply as the ninja of fire made to run out of the dojo as fast as possible to catch up with his sister. "She probably used Flame to get there, and there is no way you're going to be able to catch up on foot."

"So?" Kai interrupted. "I'll borrow one of you guys' dragons."

"Furthermore," Cole continued, not bothering to acknowledge Kai's comment. "Nya's not going to want to believe it anyway. We're better off making sure that she stays safe by keeping an eye on her from afar."

"As long as we can keep her safe, that's all I care about. I'm not going to lose her to the enemy again!" Kai declared. His comrades nodded, understanding, and rose to head out to the dragon stables.

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Lord Garmadon grinned wickedly from his throne in the underworld. "So, the little ninja are getting worried are they? Perfect…" he chuckled. "Everything is falling into place. Go," the dark lord continued, rising to his feet and calling to unseen listeners. "Prepare for the next phase of our plan. Failure will not be tolerated!"

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**(1): This is a reference to my other Ninjago chapter story, "Fractures in the Framework." I think this story is becoming kind of an indirect sequel to that one. However, you won't need to read my other fic to understand this one.**

**(2): I borrowed this name from a character in one of my favorite books. If you know which book I'm talking about, you have experienced some outstanding literature. ;)**

**A/N: So, here's chapter two. Sorry there's not too much going on here. I just needed to get characters in the right places and set things in motion. Next chapter is when the fun starts. *evil grin* So until next time, please review! :)**


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